Email Tool Error Message Error Opening file: The system cannot find the file specified. (2

Hi community!

I keep receiving this error message on my tool: Error: Email (8): Record#1: Error Opening file: The system cannot find the file specified. (2)

I've attached a screenshot of how my workflow is configured with certain file paths blacked out due to privacy.

The workflow takes a large database and writes to a template (the blob tools) and creates several different outputs based on a unique identifier field. Then I need to email those reports out to whichever email is attached to the unique identifier. Has anyone else received this error message and solved how to fix it?

tempsnip.png

Error Message

Accepted answers

SeanAdams

Hey @laurennewton

When you need to enforce strict ordering for processes like this (e.g. when you are writing to a file that you then need to consume at a later point) there are 3 ways to do this:

- Wrap each step in a batch macro - batch macros are useful because they force Alteryx to only move ahead when the entire process is done

- use control containers - launched in the latest version 2023.1

- Use a python tool and just force a sleep for 10s (or longer, depending on your process) before the eMail tool fires.

You can check if this is the problem by running this flow twice, and disabling pieces:

- First time - run it, and disable the eMail - does it output OK to the file?

- Second time, disable the output and let the eMail piece run - does it work OK?

if it runs when you progressively disable pieces like this - then you definately do have a locking problem (resource contention) - and you can manage that with one of the 3 methods above

All comments

Luke_C

Hi @laurennewton

Are you running this locally or on the server? Are you certain the file path being passed to the email is the same as the file path of the outputs?

gabrielvilella

You might need another block until done to make sure the copy template file finishes before the other steps. And I'd make sure all the paths are correct, the info you have when creating is the same that you have in the email tool.

laurennewton

@Luke_C Thanks for the quick reply! I am running it locally on an Alteryx admin account but ideally in its end state I would like it to live on Alteryx server.

laurennewton

Hi @gabrielvilella thanks for the quick reply! I added an additional block until done but the problem seems to persist and yes the email is attempting to attach the same file path that is being written too in the other tools.